iGame Radio

“Hey, buddy…wanna get some free games? All ya gotta do is work for free for a while…what’s not ta like?”
Read more

Recently, Virtual Programming told the world that they had been getting chummy with Epic Games. Specifically, VP was a key development partner in helping Epic out with releasing a Mac OSX version of their UE3 SDK. We wondered just how chummy this relationship was, and more importantly, what we Mac gamers might get out of this friendship, so we shot over a few questions to the UK developer.

Brad Cook, their Director of PR and Marketing, very kindly handled the job of getting our questions answered by VP CEO Mark Hinton:
Read more

Virtual Programming has finally released Elven Legacy for the Mac. Though Mac gamers had to wait almost 2 years, their patience has paid off with a collection that includes the original game and all three expansions.

Originally announced in 2009, this epic fantasy turn-based strategy game brings players into the world of Illis where five races vie for control. Players lead the elves or humans in the single-player campaign or choose one of the five races…elves, orcs, humans, undead, and dwarves…when heading online for multiplayer combat. The massive battles within the game have been compared to Battle for Middle Earth Lord of the Rings game.
Read more

In an attempt to expand Deliver2Mac, Virtual Programming has released an application for their digital download service.

Similar to how Valve’s Steam client works, the Deliver2Mac client app runs from your home computer and automatically detects Virtual Programming games. The preferences can be set to automatically start downloading updates for these games or to ask you before hand. You can purchase games through the app as well, and store them in a library similar to the way Steam operates. You can also peruse the site for trailers, demos, and game news.

Another really cool advantage is that all game manuals are available via the client app. Unfortunately, not every game has a manual…a problem that Virtual Programming is not always in control of fixing. But to sweeten the deal, Mark Hinton, CEO of Virtual Programming, says that there will be bundles and other special deals will be made available to customers only through the client. “The Deliver2Mac client is our customers’ personal game shopping assistant,” he stated.

After starting up the client, you can add your account from Deliver2Mac or start up an account if you don’t already have one. You can also choose to do shared storage of game info, or per user storage. We found the user interface to be clean and tidy, very easy to use, especially in comparison to the old Deliver2Mac website which was slower and often more difficult to find what you needed.

The system requirements call for: Mac OS X version 10.5.8, an Intel processor, and a broadband Internet connection. You can download the client app here.

Virtual Programming has announced that they are shutting down their community forums. Citing lack of use, the company has decided that the forums don’t fit with the company’s current strategy. The last day is July 11.

Looking through the forum site, however, we find a fairly vibrant set of conversations occurring…at least up until the end of 2010. After that, with the exception of the X3 series forum, there aren’t many posts in any of them (save for one that is rife with spam). Read more

Virtual Programming has released their latest game, Cities in Motion. Manage the ever-changing public transportation needs of four cities over 100 years.

Between 1920 and 2020 you be building lines for trains, trams, boats, buses, and helicopters in the cities of Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin, and Amsterdam. At the same time, you’ll have to keep commuters happy, negotiate with banks, and navigate shifting economic trends while trying to turn a profit. We notice Seattle isn’t in the list…guess THAT city was too much of a challenge. /snark

Each city is rendered in 3D detail, and includes over 100 buildings, an underground view, and more than 30 vehicles based on their real-life counterparts. There are also seven different types of residents to deal with, including specific behavior types that have to be accommodated as they travel between various locations.

The included campaign features 12 scenarios. A sandbox mode allows you to play in all four campaign cities, while the advanced map editor lets you create your own metropolises.

System requirements include:

• OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later
• Processor: 2 GHz Dual Core or higher
• 2GB RAM
• 2GB Hard drive
• NVIDIA GeForce 8800/ATI Radeon HD 3850 or higher with 512 MB RAM, OpenGL 3.0

Cities in Motion is available on the Deliver2Mac site for $19.95, £14.95, or €17.95.

We’re all familiar with Virtual Programming as publisher on the Mac of the likes of Supreme Commander 2, Majesty 2, and the Europa Universalis series, to name a few. But Home Sheep Home? Now, that’s something new.

Released at the end of April, Home Sheep Home is based on the very popular Flash version of the Shaun the Sheep game of the same name by Aardman Digital. This game has been played over 80 million times and received a BAFTA nomination to boot.

The game challenges players to safely navigate Shaun, Shirley and Timmy through precarious situations of increasing difficulty as they try to find their way back to the barn. Each sheep has their own unique abilities and strengths, so looking ahead and planning with the right sheep is important to finishing a level. Home Sheep Home has 15 levels with OpenFeint social networking for added fun and leaderboard scoring.

You can pick up Home Sheep Home for iPhone and iPod Touch in the App Store for US $0.99, £0.59, or €0.79.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Majesty 2, by Virtual Programming. The bounty twist of Majesty 2 turns a standard strategy sim into something new and exciting. The humor of both the advisor and the heroes within the game keeps you moving through the mouse click problems and the difficulty issues, to conquer your enemies and win the day.
  
• Also, a review of LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, published by Feral Interactive. Another opportunity to merge LEGOs with a pop culture icon, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga gives you and your friends the chance to play it all. The humor does it best, pulling you back again and again.
  

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Supreme Commander 2, by Virtual Programming. Merging unit building with research trees, high-level strategizing, and storyline, Supreme Commander 2 makes certain that there is something for you to do at all times. A perfect example of what it’s like to do military buildup in any environment, complete with the politics.
  
• Also, a review of LEGO Harry Potter, Years 1-4, by Feral Interactive. LEGO Harry Potter is the most ambitious of the LEGO games to date, and it definitely shows. There is so much to do, that it would a life-time for a wizard to finish it all. Definitely a game for any young wizard to learn their LEGO spell-chops on.
  

Virtual Programming has announced the release of the Infinite War Battle Pack DLC for the RTS Supreme Commander 2. Infinite War features eight new maps, an army of new units, and a variety of research boosts and upgrades for all three factions within the game.

Infinite War’s eight new maps include everything from the two-player QAI Labs, located high above the surface of Pollux IV, to the eight-player free-for-all Tourneydome (eight commanders enter, one commander leaves). Among the new units are a host of experimentals and stealthy units such as the Illuminate Sniper Bot and the Cybran Air Scout. The research improvements decrease production times, give units new capabilities, and more.

System Requirements include:

• Mac OS 10.6.3 or higher
• Intel CPU, 2.2 GHz or faster
• 1 GB RAM
• GeForce 8600, Radeon 2400HD or newer, 256 MB
• 5 GB Hard Disk space
• Internet connection
• Steam for Mac
• Requires Supreme Commander 2 to run

Infinite War is available as a digital download only from the Virtual Programming Deliver2Mac site for $9.95, £6.95, or €9.95.